In this chapter we see the prayer that Jesus prayed the night that He was betrayed and arrested.

This is the prayer that was at the beginning of what was going to prove to be a very long night.

And In this prayer Jesus prayed for himself, for his disciples, and for those who would become his disciples in the future. (That’s us)

What I want us to look at are the opening words of Jesus’ prayer

And I want to allow these words to challenge us

Challenge us to live our lives to its fullest by daily living for Christ.

Text: John 17:1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.

Now when Jesus prayed this prayer

He was about to come “face to face” with the cross.

He was about to make what until now had only been promised through prophecy

And now He was going to make it” a reality.”

Jesus was not simply “going through the motions”

And by doing this He was living His life to the fullest

He was fulfilling his life’s mission.

As we look at this text we there are 3 qualities of Christ-likeness

Three qualities that I feel can transform our lives

Transform them from just “existing” into “really living.”

1) We Must Live with a Dependence on the Father

Jesus is our example—he lived depending on His Father.

As the Son of God he didn’t have to—

He chose to

He chose to do this out of submission

And by doing this He show us how we are suppose to submit our lives to God.

The first word of His prayer is, “Father.”

I want to quickly look at how Jesus placed his dependence on his Father in heaven.

The author of Hebrews tells us:

Heb 5:7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could deliver him out of death. And God heard his prayers because of his reverence for God. Heb 5:8 So even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. (Hebrews 5:7-8)

Early in his ministry we see a pattern of dependence

And it’s is revealed through Jesus’ prayer time with his Father:

Mk 1:35 The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray. Mk 1:36 Later Simon and the others went out to find him. Mk 1:37 They said, “Everyone is asking for you.” Mk 1:38 But he replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too, because that is why I came.”